On Friday the 9th of February 2007 I noticed a loud scrubbing sound when I moved my steering wheel any. A week prior we had noticed a little squeak coming from under the front end so when I heard the scrubbing noise also I called the local Dodge service center. On Thursday Feb. 15th 2007 I took it in to see what the problem was thinking maybe power steering pump or something simple. Lower ball joint boots busted at 61K on my 2003 Ram 1500 4X4 qc. Lower and upper ball joints and assemblies need to be replaced. My truck is in pristine condition otherwise, this came as quite a shock and we are afraid to drive it. Price to fix? $1,600. I was told this is the same problem the Dodge durango and Jeep Liberty have been recalled for and that quite a few Ram 1500's are coming in to dealers, so much so that the parts to fix this are on back order. I now know this is the reason we have experienced some uneven tire wear in the last 2 months. This is a very dangerous situation as once it fails the front end will fall apart. I would like to document this in the proper place so that restitution can possibly be made to us consumers in the near future. Automobile companies should not be allowed to manufacture and sell ball joints as "sealed" there is no way to maintain them and once the boots bust the ball joints fail - disastrous consequences incur.

- Danville, GA, USA

Went to have vehicle inspected to reregister. It was discovered that both upper ball joints and both lower ball joints were bad. Based on several estimates, it will cost me anywhere from $500.-$700. To have this repaired. My truck only has 61,010 miles on it and most of those are highway miles. We have not taken this truck "off-road". this defect could have caused a very serious if not fatal accident if it would not have been found.

- Washington, MO, USA

Note: I had to write down Florida for the state, because there is no option for puerto rico. While driving in a mountanous area with curves(asphalted road), after a curve at approximately 10-20 mph, I felt the truck lost the right side front tire, when I checked I had lost the part of the front suspension that holds the disc, caliper bearing, tire, ball joints and all other related parts. I recovered the assembly that included the above parts. I took the truck to the Chrysler dealer, they told me they had to wait for a Chrysler engineer to determine if it was a defect( the car was brand new and had about 1700 miles and three weeks old). The engineer arrived to puerto rico last Thursday March 20 2003, and in a couple of hours (2-3 hours) determined that it was all an accident( I am a mechanical engineer). I asked for this information in writing- I still haven't received it). Since the first week I had the Ram, I felt a noise that really sounded like a loose part under the dash, other than that I did not feel anything abnormal in the driving characteristics, I had spoke with the salesman and asked him about the warranty procedure, to take the Ram in for this noise.

- Humacao, FL, USA